The One Decision
by Darth Elle
Summary: One decision, made too early, corrupts the entire end of ‘Revenge of the Sith’. Things change completely, new powers are unfolded. Will ‘A New Hope’ continue as normal? Perhaps not… This story starts off just as Mace Windu is about to kill the Sith Lord.
1. The Decision

***** I did NOT make Star Wars! It was George Lucas! Such a genius... *****

Darth Sidious cowered against the wall of his room, leaning as far back as possible, away from the purple lightsaber inches from his throat. This was cutting it close. VERY close. Did he still have the strength to save himself if his plan failed? He wasn't sure. And that deeply unnerved him.

He looked up into the face of his attacker, curious to see the Jedi's expression. It surprised him. Obviously The Force was hiding things from him today.

Mace Windu's face was genuinely terrifying. So terrifying, even the most powerful Sith Lord had to look away. It was twisted with so many emotions; rage, indecision, worry, hatred, anticipation, determination, triumph. Feelings clashed across his face, making him look deranged.

The lightsaber quivered forward a couple of centimetres. Darth Sidious could feel his opponent nearing the decision that, if made to soon, would destroy his master plan that had taken him more than 30 years to build up. Would Anakin be too late? For the first time ever, Darth Sidious was starting to doubt The Force.

Just as Mace Windu's grin widened, the door blasted open. Anakin Skywalker had arrived.

--

It was now or never. "H - help!" Darth Sidious stammered, playing with The Force to forge complete innocence. "Anakin! Help me!"

The sudden turmoil in Anakin's head was obvious. Which side would he take? Mace Windu stopped smiling and turned a little to see the new visitor.

"You can't kill him now, Master Windu!" yelled Anakin. But his voice wasn't pure, he still wasn't sure. Although, he was fingering the tilt of his lightsaber. A good sign.

Mace Windu turned further. "He is too dangerous to be kept alive!" he shouted back. His tone was clearly implying that this was obvious. "This is a Sith Lord!!"

"Anakin," whispered Darth Sidious once more. "I - I told you this would happen! And… and I was right! The Jedi want me killed! They attacked me!"

The purple lightsaber started to shake. "This is a _SITH LORD_!!" screamed its owner. "He must be ki-"

"No! He must be given a fair trial first!" yelled Anakin. He sounded like he might explode. "This is not the Jedi way!"

But his protests were falling on deaf ears. And Darth Sidious realized that a second too late. One flick, and the Emperor was dead.

"NO!!!" shrieked Anakin. Uncontrollable rage overtook him, and in the blink of an eye, the lifeless body of Mace Windu thudded to the floor beside the Sith Lord.

It took a minute of silence for Anakin to realize what he had done, what this now meant. But he couldn't speak. He couldn't scream. He couldn't do anything.

He could only run.

And as he ran, Anakin slowly started realizing what would happen now. There was no way he could remain in Jedi status; they would for sure kick him out, and probably punish him as they do for all the other petty murderers.

And worst of all, there was no hope for Padmé now. The very thought brought tears of sadness into Anakin's eyes. He couldn't live without Padmé. So what would he do? There was only one way… Was he strong enough?


	2. A Very Unexpected Surprise

Padmé woke up suddenly, immediately feeling ill at ease. Something had happened. She could feel it in the air.

"Anakin," she whispered, reaching out beside her. Surely Anakin would be back by now. But there were only blankets beneath her fingers.

That was all it took. She ran to the Chancellor's room with her heart in her throat.

--

It was dim in the chamber, the only light coming from outside, through the huge window. A feeling of pain enveloped her, so thick she could barely breathe. Her eyes immediately fell on five shapes on the ground.

Bodies.

Padmé's breath came out in a wild gasp. Tears pricked her eyes, the room began to blur. Anakin had been alive here, she could feel it. Had he died here too? No… he couldn't have…

It was like something had snapped inside her. She was losing control; slipping, screaming falling…

--

Obi-Wan paced his room, letting his mind wander. He thought of Anakin most. _Worried _was more the word. Anakin was much too close to the Chancellor, and The Force was screaming at him that this was very wrong. Perhaps the rumours that the Chancellor was a Sith Lord had something to do with it…

A scream pierced right through his worries like how a hot knife slices through warm butter. He didn't need The Force to tell him that this had to do with the two people he had just been thinking of. Lightsaber ready, he almost flew to the Chancellor's room.

But he was unprepared for the sight that greeted him.

The Jedi who had come to arrest the Chancellor were all dead. And the Chancellor, dead as well. Dead and covered with lightsaber marks.

How could they have all died? Both sides?

A ragged breathing interrupted his panicked thoughts. It was Padmé. Unconscious. Yet thankfully, unmarked. What was she doing…?

Someone else must have been here, have done all this. The question was who. Who could possibly…?

Yoda might know. He had the answer to everything.

Obi-Wan stooped over and picked up Padmé, being the only one here besides him who was breathing.

--

Yoda was not sleeping. He was waiting for Obi-Wan in the corridor.

"Master Yoda! It - it's the Chancellor! Bodies! And -"

"Master Kenobi," Yoda began. Obi-Wan quickly fell silent. "I know what has happened."

Obi-Wan nodded sadly.

"Gather the rest of the Jedi, you must." Yoda turned to leave. But Obi-Wan took a step forward and held out the girl in his arms.

"What about… her?" he asked.

"Bring her to the medical droid. She is fine. Only in shock."

--

Obi-Wan took his seat slowly, taking time to look around. All the council, plus every Jedi, was present, their faces downcast, all mourning the death of four others. There was not one happy face in the room. Although the only one crying was the one in the corner; Padmé.

Her face was tear-stained, her eyes bloodshot. She resembled someone who had not slept for nights on end. They had all tried to assure her that Anakin had not died, that he was OK, but she simply refused to calm down. No one knew why.

The room fell silent as Yoda stepped up to talk. Not that it had been loud before.

Yoda looked much more devastated then he had the night before. His eyes lacked the subtle happiness they usually had. He let out a sombre sigh as he opened his unsmiling mouth to speak.

"It was Skywalker."

Nothing in the room changed. There were no urgent whispers of outrage; the Jedi accepted this news willingly. They had all known it, deep in their hearts. No one argued, they didn't need any proof. Except for one.

"Master Yoda," Obi-Wan started, refusing to believe that it was his own padawan that had killed four respectable people without reason. "I do not see how it could have been Anakin. Why would he kill both sides? Jedi _and_ Sith?"

Yoda paused, thinking again. "I am afraid I do not know," he said finally.

"Then Master, how can you be sure this was Anakin? Or perhaps he killed only the Chancellor. In which case -" He broke off, a strangled sob startling him. It was Padmé.

Her face was covered in fresh tears. It showed pain, only pain. Pain beyond belief. Obi-Wan strode over closer to her.

"It _was_ Anakin!!" she screamed. Many people jumped. Everyone was shocked into silence.

Obi-Wan took advantage of the new quiet to speak again. "Padmé, my dear, how do you know? Were you there?"

She slumped to the floor and closed her eyes. Obi-Wan thought at first she had fainted, until she spoke again.

"No, I wasn't there," she admitted quietly.

"Maybe you had a dream Padmé," Obi-Wan suggested kindly.

"NO!!" she shrieked, making everyone jump again. Obi-Wan immediately thought she was speaking to him.

"Padmé -"

"ANAKIN NO!!!"

Everyone turned to one another with panicked looks on their faces.

"ANAKIN NO!! DON'T KILL HIM!! PLEASE!!" She then fell silent and started sobbing uncontrollably.

"Padmé," Obi-Wan said gently, kneeling down to place a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him with wide eyes. "Padmé, what is going on? Are you seeing something?"

"No," she sobbed, "I-I hear it, and… and feel it." She shuddered violently. "It's horrible."

"What are you hearing?" Obi-Wan asked urgently. This was beyond strange.

More tears spilled down her face. "He killed Mace Windu," she whispered. With that, she ran from the room.

Now everyone was talking, all with very nervous expressions.

"Council session now ended!" Obi-Wan shouted. The Jedi slowly started filing out of the room, still whispering urgently amongst themselves. Once everyone had gone, Obi-Wan sat down beside Yoda.

"We must train her," he said confidently. "She is already very powerful. She would make a talented Jedi."

"No, we cannot," Yoda disagreed.

I… I beg your pardon?"

"Think! Think Master Kenobi!" Yoda said carefully. "Which emotions brought on this unexpected bout of The Force? Anger! Pain! Loss! Grief! She would turn to the Dark Side, no doubt."

The realisation of Yoda's words showed on Obi-Wan's face. "Why, we must not tell her! She must not know what she is capable of!"

"Hope, we must, that she does not discover on her own. More powerful then me, she is."

If Obi-Wan had looked worried before, it was nothing compared to how he looked now.


	3. Silver Knives

The next morning Padmé was gone. And Anakin had yet to return.

"Gone to find young Skywalker, she has," Yoda said when Obi-Wan asked, as they walked through the busy hallway.

"I think it's safe to assume that Anakin is the father," Obi-Wan told him.

Yoda only nodded. They both knew that attachment can turn a Jedi to the Dark Side. And with Anakin's fierce temper… They could only pray that Anakin wouldn't choose that path. It would destroy all peace they had brought back.

--

Padmé closed her eyes, letting herself find Anakin using only feelings. She had to find him… She had to, before it was too late.

She later landed her space craft on the sandy ground of Tatooine. Of course… Anakin had come back to his home planet. Now she only had to find where he was. She got out and closed her eyes once more, and set out to find her love.

Padmé opened her eyes once she felt like she had arrived. She was standing before some large cave. Dark… gloomy…

She looked down and shuddered. Bones littered the ground. Of course, the thought that this might not be the right place never crossed her mind. Padmé was not one to doubt herself. So she set off into the cave.

--

Anakin knew she was coming.

And he wished she wasn't.

It was hard enough to stay, and not go back to her, _without_ her being right beside him, her voice in his ear, trying to convince him to come back… He would for surely crack under the pressure.

She was close. Coming closer. He had to… had to leave… but she was coming in his only exit. There was no other choice. No other option. He would have to strong, stronger then ever before. He couldn't go back, not when she would leave him so soon anyway…

Her dainty footsteps echoed across the cavern walls. Anakin closed his eyes tight and balled his hands into fists. It was time, time to face the one he had been dreading.

--

"Anakin!" Padmé's call of pain, of newfound happiness caught him totally off guard. Her voice but straight to his heart, slicing like tiny silver knives.

She suddenly threw her arms around his neck, her lips to his. Slash, rip, tear.

"Oh, Anakin," she whispered, tears showing in her voice. He opened his eyes, hoping he could keep the pain off his face.

Anakin remained momentarily speechless. Her eyes, sparkling with tears like tiny diamonds, were making him forget why he couldn't go back. Why she couldn't stay here, with him.

"I… I…" he began, searching for the words he had to say.

"I know," she whispered back, he face finally showing the pain he knew would come. More tiny cuts to his heart…

Wait, she knew?

"How do you… know…?" Anakin asked slowly.

"I, I… saw what you did." She lowered her head as if ashamed.

Then it hit him. She wasn't talking about what he was going to do. She was talking about what he had done.

She knew.

She knew… she knew…

Another wave of pain crashed through him. This was the perfect opportunity for her to hate him. To do all the work for him. It only he was strong enough to accept that…

"How did you see?" Anakin's voice shook. He hadn't meant for her to even know. Especially to witness it.

"Well, not see…" she said slowly. "I sort of heard it, and felt it." She looked back into his eyes, worry plastered across her face. "Why, Anakin?" she asked, her voice thick with tears. The knife through his heart dug deeper.

It was Anakin's turn to stare at the floor. "The Chancellor, he was a Sith Lord. And he knew… about you, and me. He told me he could keep you alive, he was capable of using the Dark Side of The Force to create life. It was the only way to save you." Anakin paused, tears in his eyes. "And now… he's dead."

One tear escaped and rolled down Anakin's cheek. He brushed it off angrily. He had to be strong for this to work.

"Oh, Anakin…" Padmé said softly, pressing the side of her face to his chest. He absentmindedly started stroking her hair, until he remembered what he had to do. He gently untangled her from around his waist and sat down by the cave wall, not allowing himself to look at her face. He didn't want to see how much pain he was causing her,

"Is something… wrong Anakin?" she asked quietly, when he didn't speak.

Anakin sat in silence for a while, preparing himself before he spoke. "You… can't stay. You must go back," he choked out.

"Anakin! No, what are you saying?!"

"I… can't. I can't get so close, when I know I will lose you. I won't be able to handle it." Anakin balled his hands into fists when her voice cut through his heart again.

"No! I can't leave you Anakin!" He could almost hear the tears running down her face. It hurt to even picture her expression. Slash, rip, tear.

He could feel himself loosing it. "Padmé! You must leave now!" he shouted. He slowly raised his head to peek at her expression.

Big mistake.

Her face was showing so much hurt, her expression was almost horrified. The dark room began to take on a red glow.

"Go Padmé! Quickly!" He was almost pleading. He might lose control, like he had with the Sand People.

She must have sensed his urgency, because she obeyed. But every echoing footstep was once more knife to his heart, each muffled sob another slash.

Until finally, she was gone, and Anakin was left with a _very_ broken heart.


	4. Darth Bellesa

"Obi-Wan!" she sobbed, running towards him. Obi-Wan looked up in surprise.

"Padmé?" he asked in a shocked tone. She was back, and running down the hallway towards him, her face covered in tears once more.

"Padmé, what's wrong?" he asked in concern, as she threw her arms around him, sobbing again. This was very un-Padmé. She didn't speak for a long time.

"It's, it's Anakin!" she blubbered. "He… he…"

"He what?" Obi-Wan asked cautiously.

"He… he…" She burst into tears again. Obi-Wan waited.

"He… he wouldn't let me stay! He wanted me gone! He… doesn't like me…"

OK, he had been expecting something a little more… sinister?

"That's all?" he asked impatiently. She looked up at him with wide eyes. He sighed and unwound her from around his neck and started walking away. She followed.

"Obi-Wan? What's wrong with you?!"

"No, what's wrong with _you_ Padmé?"

She stared.

"Padmé, people change their minds, grow out of phases," he said calmly. "Maybe he just had a change of heart."

More staring.

"You should maybe except his decision," he hinted.

Still nothing.

"And move on…" now she froze. But Obi-Wan just shook his head and kept walking. She needed to get over this, and he couldn't help.

--

Padmé could only stare. She was too shocked to move, to think. She was frozen. She needed to thaw.

Her mind thawed first. She wished it hadn't at all.

Because now she realized what everybody thought. They didn't care. The Jedi didn't care. About her. About Anakin. They only wanted him dead. They couldn't care less about what he meant to her, what killing him would do to her.

Anakin not wanting her around was one thing. Anakin dead? Completely another.

And the Jedi didn't care. All they cared about were their strict rules, and about what they called 'Peace'. They didn't care about feelings, about love…

And now they were going to hunt down the one she couldn't live without.

Rage pulsed through her like electricity. Like there was lightning coursing through her veins. It was such a great feeling of power, so much so, that it frightened her. She strode quickly outside, worried she might accidentally destroy something.

--

Outside, Padmé met Aayla Secura, probably the last person she wanted to run into.

"Why hello Senator! What a surprise!" she smiled widely.

Padmé's eyes narrowed. She had never like Aayla. "Yes, hello," she said coldly. "What do you want?"

"Oh, nothing. Just… have you seen Anakin lately?" Aayla asked innocently.

The electricity in Padmé's veins peaked. How dare she…?! Aayla just wanted to kill Anakin! To find him, with information she would weasel out of her… Padmé glared furiously, her eyes feeling as if they were burning… the electricity… growing…

Before she could control it, a huge bolt of lightning hot out of her eyes, and right into Aayla., who screamed and crumpled to the floor.

"Oh, no…" Padmé whispered, backing away. What had she just done? She whirled around, checking to see if anyone had seen. It didn't seem like it, but Aayla's scream would probably attract attention right away. Padmé ran fast to her space craft.

Inside, she collapsed to the floor, breathing heavily. What had just happened? Well, at least that nosy Aayla had deserved being… zapped, or whatever.

But the electricity was gone. How it had felt good… the pulsing energy, coursing through her body… the feeling of… power?

How odd. She had actually had _power_. Not like the power of being queen, or senator, power like…

Like The Force?

No, that couldn't be… could it?

But if she did have The Force, how powerful she could be! She would be able to movie objects, like the other Jedi… she would be able to sense danger, see the future…. And if she could call back that electricity, she would be able to kill those she didn't like.

Wait, had she just… no… not kill…

Well, maybe just kill a bit. Just get rid of the ones she detested. Control those inferior to her, enslave those unworthy… She could create her own empire, all at her control. She and Anakin wouldn't have to hide their love, because anyone who objected would be exterminated.

That is, as long as Anakin still loved her…

Of course he did. He was just worried about her health. And now that she was all powerful, she wouldn't die. Well, probably not…

Maybe she could hide her identity. Anakin didn't need to know who she really was. She would tell him later. For now, she would be known as…

Bellesa.

_Darth_ Bellesa.


End file.
